BKatastrophe
Member
Longest one yet, folks.
Silent War
Having almost completed my long journey through pre-War of Kings Inhumans tales, here comes Silent War. A post-Civil War event that I'm sure you all wanted and cared about, written by David Hine and drawn by Frazer Irving.
So, after the events of Son of M, Silent War details the very short war between Attilan and the U.S.A. Each chapter being narrated by a different character. Gorgon, Luna, Crystal, Medusa, Sentry (the Avenger himself), and Maximus the Mad. Initially, we start off by learning that the war itself has been a cold one, with no side making any actual aggressive movements. The first chapter -- or act, as they are referred to within the story itself -- has Gorgon leading a small team into a play, the theater of which houses a shitload of rich folk, including politicians. The team itself consists of Jolen, Nahrees (whom you all both know from Young Inhumans), and Kurani (new to this story and she can cast illusions). Gorgon then reveals themselves part way into the play and orders Jolen to "silence" them. Now while this might seem like Gorgon was telling him to kill people, he actually wasn't. He really just wanted them silent, although to do what is unclear. Jolen being a space racist, however, just murders a bunch of them. Gorgon, pissed that this asshole didn't listen, orders Kurani to cloak them so they can escape with the others. The Fantastic Four show up, see through the illusion, and proceed to fight. At first the Inhumans appear to be winning, but then the FF actually realize they're just hard counters and rock their shit -- it's hard for Gorgon to stomp everything when he's wrapped up, Jolen to do wonky plant shit when he's lit up, Nahrees to throw lightning when she's in a force bubble, and Kurani to cast illusions when she's knocked the fuck out. Reed tries to get Gorgon to snitch on Jolen, since he knows Gorgon wouldn't order the murder of civilians, however Gorgon ain't no snitch bitch. The team is then locked up in the care of *O*N*E* (the anagram I don't remember, but it's a shady section of the SHIELD and the US government), and this asshole scientist wants to figure out how the Terrigen works. Gorgon, again not being a snitch, doesn't tell him. So the scientist doses him a second time and Gorgon goes fucking beast mode.
Now, that's all in the first act. Keep in mind, that during that, Medusa is failing to properly relay Black Bolt's orders (interesting plot thread), and Luna and Crystal are trying to stop this shit. The next act is told from Luna's perspective, who is simply attempting to figure out what's going on. She reveals that her powers allow her to read other people's movements based on their auras -- her perceived empathic abilities are actually the abilities to read and manipulate auras, as she reveals while doing fight training with Karnak, whom she manages to beat during training (though I imagine he's going easy on her, or else he's straight losing to a six-year old). Repeated exposure to the Mists have also allowed her to sense when the Crystals are utilized. Sensing a massive spike on Earth, it's revealed that Quicksilver has been using them. Crystal takes over the narration here, revealing that Pietro's been running a clinic where he restores mutant abilities, a plan that didn't work beforehand. However this time he has become the source of the Mists, having "communed" with them for days and then shoving them into his body. So, he's crazy, but he reveals that due to his massive power upgrade (being able to go months into the future) he sees Attilan get destroyed. Crystal tells him they'll never be together ever again and to stay away from Luna, who's horrifed by this sight. Black Bolt beats the fuck out of Quicksilver, but is restrained by Medusa. Also, Multiple Man and other chick show up to help fuck with Quicksilver, other chick being able to see into the future and showing Pietro's time double that he and Crystal have a conversation, but not letting him hear what they're saying. She gets his hopes up by informing him that Crystal will tell him she still loves him, to really make sure he takes the biggest L possible, because god does she hate Quicksilver.
So, at this point, mad scientist dude has exposed himself to the Terrigen, upgrading his body. He reveals that the Terrigen gives the user their greatest desire, with his being a super strong and fit body, while giving them their greatest setback. In this case, all humans are basically in a permanent state of decay, because they aren't Kree (or mutants, based on Son of M). He informs Maria Hill, who decides it's a good idea to create a disposable black ops unit of "inhumans." Black Bolt and fam decide to warp into the Pentagon, but are bounced to the Antarctic due to an anti-teleport shield (fucking Reed Richards). Sentry and Black Bolt have a conversation which goes along the lines of Sentry warning BB in the hopes that Attilan will surrender so they don't have to fight, knowing the battle will be destructive. Black Bolt remains silent and leaves, which leaves Sentry legit shook and Maria Hill pissed off. Back on Attilan, Medusa talks to BB about how this war is fucked, which he knows, but has no idea what to do. So Medusa has an argument about how their son went nuts due to his early Terrigen exposure -- believing it to be the result of Maximus' madness possibly being genetic -- and locked up in a room somewhere. She suggests they use Luna (who doesn't want to do this, having remembered what Magneto said) to "fix" both Maximus and Ahura, freeing them of their madness. BB is like, "Freeing my bro won't work out well," and she's like, "But it totes will this time!" He gets pissed, she gets pissed, and she fucks off while he broods. Keep in mind that Black Bolt is against this because he had gone to Maximus for advice and didn't like what he got. Medusa goes to talk to Maximus, and in her sadness decides to mack on him. BB sees this event, which Medusa is unaware of while Maximus is, and flies out into space and screams.
So BB leads a team of Inhumans to attack the Pentagon and free Gorgon's squad, but then the Avengers show up. At first the Avengers get the upper hand, but a dude who can project into peoples' brains by shooting shadow balls out of his eyes (I don't fucking know) drives Ares nuts. So, Sentry still being legit shook by his convo with BB, ponders the fight. Without Sentry and Ares, and the freeing of Gorgon's team by Dewoz (mirror dude) and Mala the Diviner (whom the book describes as "I dunno she hacks shit I guess"). They also retrieve the Terrigen Crystals from the scientist, who dies. Returning to the fight, the Inhumans leave minus Black Bolt. During the fight BB stayed back, so as not to provoke Sentry, but after the rest of the squad leaves the fight he stays. The Avengers are all like, "Yo these fucking cowards," and Sentry's like, "Nah bruh they running cuz he about to yell." BB then proceeds to what is described as a whisper by Sentry, and rocks the Avengers. They are now legit shook.
On Attilan the Inhumans ponder how to react, but before they can enact a plan they are placed under assault by ONE's "inhuman" unit. During the fight, Medusa coerces Luna rather aggressively into "fixing" Ahura and Maximus. Luna, seeing that something is up, complies. She notices a weird octopus thing encased in a crystal thing, revealed to be Maximus' mind control as it appears to her. Maximus reveals that he "implanted" some sort of "virus" into the Royal Family so he can more easily control them in the future. The crystal-like encasing for the parasite is a representation of both the willpower suppressing said "virus" and also Maximus' lack of control. Luna and Black Bolt have proved powerful enough to resist, however. At this point the combat ends and the ONE soldiers, at the end of their lifespans (one having already died), surrender. Noticing one of these to be a regular human, Black Bolt signals that they are taken as prisoners. The normal human turns out to be a suicide bomber, and informs Maria Hill to activate it. A chunk of Attilan now destroyed, and the entirety of its population enslaved, Black Bolt is thrown into prison. Luna then visits Black Bolt in the prison, confessing that it's her fault the madness was unleashed, and asks what to do next. The end.
So, this book was interesting. It's a conflict where at first you might immediately assume that ONE is the bad guys, and Attilan is the good guys. However, Attilan's dirty deeds at the beginning show that this is a no holds barred type of thing. With both sides struggling with what's right and wrong. It's really emphasized during this, because each side turns to desperation. ONE's experiments and Medusa turning to Maximus are both proof of this. Black Bolt is the most interesting part of the story, as he is a character that's the epitome of self-restraint. Even described as such by Crystal and Medusa during their acts. Yet he is constantly on edge, to the point of almost beating Pietro to death. Not only that, but he's also shown to be incredibly unsure, something that damages his communication with Medusa. Him being unsure and less confident is also hard to imagine. I mean, the Jenkins/Lee series had a similarly tense situation (what with Attilan being under siege and all) and yet he was still able to create a long plan all without wavering at all, but when you imagine all the events that have happened (the Siege of Attilan, the separation and use of his race by Ronan, and the theft of the crystals) then it becomes far clearer. Medusa's turn to desperation is also a shocking result of this. It's sort of cliche at this point, but seeing Black Bolt losing his kingdom to Maximus is rough, especially since this time is assisted by his wife. It's difficult to see, and again the scenario of Attilan being so severely isolated, even being attacked from within, remains intense. This story keeps you on your toes.
David Hines' writing is solid. While he does he narration well, the dialogue is the epitome of decent. It gets the point across, but lacks anything memorable. It's well-plotted for the most part yet feels sort of rushed at the end. Also, due to how much it feels like it's derived from Jenkins' run, it doesn't feel particularly unique or creative. It doesn't feel too focused on the characters like Son of M or Young Inhumans either. Though Luna gets the most focus. Really, the book is carried by Irving's art. It's a very unique style, almost coming off like it's been painted. The colors really pop off the page and help emphasize emotions, something that really allows Luna's powers to shine, which didn't as much during Son of M. Medusa's hair is a particularly fun thing to look at, since it's almost drawn as its own entity. The facial expressions do a great job of capturing the situations at hand. Quicksilver looks truly insane, Black Bolt constantly in a state of depression, Gorgon's feral transformation, Luna frequently appears horrified at the events transpiring.
A decent, yet ultimately forgettable (especially since the war doesn't seem to have any aftereffects that aren't exclusive to Inhumans) book that I can only recommend to those who are reading the Inhumans storyline such as I.
A few posed questions: Why is Ahura insane? I can only imagine this is due to to House of M, since apparently people have forgotten about him, save for Medusa and BB. He went insane at some point, but it's unclear as to when. After he received his powers, but I'm not sure when that happened. Atlantis Rising, maybe? My second question is one that still stands, and that is, "When the hell did Maximus get pulled out of the Negative Zone?" Seriously. I need this answered, because it's bugging the fuck out of me.
Silent War
Having almost completed my long journey through pre-War of Kings Inhumans tales, here comes Silent War. A post-Civil War event that I'm sure you all wanted and cared about, written by David Hine and drawn by Frazer Irving.
So, after the events of Son of M, Silent War details the very short war between Attilan and the U.S.A. Each chapter being narrated by a different character. Gorgon, Luna, Crystal, Medusa, Sentry (the Avenger himself), and Maximus the Mad. Initially, we start off by learning that the war itself has been a cold one, with no side making any actual aggressive movements. The first chapter -- or act, as they are referred to within the story itself -- has Gorgon leading a small team into a play, the theater of which houses a shitload of rich folk, including politicians. The team itself consists of Jolen, Nahrees (whom you all both know from Young Inhumans), and Kurani (new to this story and she can cast illusions). Gorgon then reveals themselves part way into the play and orders Jolen to "silence" them. Now while this might seem like Gorgon was telling him to kill people, he actually wasn't. He really just wanted them silent, although to do what is unclear. Jolen being a space racist, however, just murders a bunch of them. Gorgon, pissed that this asshole didn't listen, orders Kurani to cloak them so they can escape with the others. The Fantastic Four show up, see through the illusion, and proceed to fight. At first the Inhumans appear to be winning, but then the FF actually realize they're just hard counters and rock their shit -- it's hard for Gorgon to stomp everything when he's wrapped up, Jolen to do wonky plant shit when he's lit up, Nahrees to throw lightning when she's in a force bubble, and Kurani to cast illusions when she's knocked the fuck out. Reed tries to get Gorgon to snitch on Jolen, since he knows Gorgon wouldn't order the murder of civilians, however Gorgon ain't no snitch bitch. The team is then locked up in the care of *O*N*E* (the anagram I don't remember, but it's a shady section of the SHIELD and the US government), and this asshole scientist wants to figure out how the Terrigen works. Gorgon, again not being a snitch, doesn't tell him. So the scientist doses him a second time and Gorgon goes fucking beast mode.
Now, that's all in the first act. Keep in mind, that during that, Medusa is failing to properly relay Black Bolt's orders (interesting plot thread), and Luna and Crystal are trying to stop this shit. The next act is told from Luna's perspective, who is simply attempting to figure out what's going on. She reveals that her powers allow her to read other people's movements based on their auras -- her perceived empathic abilities are actually the abilities to read and manipulate auras, as she reveals while doing fight training with Karnak, whom she manages to beat during training (though I imagine he's going easy on her, or else he's straight losing to a six-year old). Repeated exposure to the Mists have also allowed her to sense when the Crystals are utilized. Sensing a massive spike on Earth, it's revealed that Quicksilver has been using them. Crystal takes over the narration here, revealing that Pietro's been running a clinic where he restores mutant abilities, a plan that didn't work beforehand. However this time he has become the source of the Mists, having "communed" with them for days and then shoving them into his body. So, he's crazy, but he reveals that due to his massive power upgrade (being able to go months into the future) he sees Attilan get destroyed. Crystal tells him they'll never be together ever again and to stay away from Luna, who's horrifed by this sight. Black Bolt beats the fuck out of Quicksilver, but is restrained by Medusa. Also, Multiple Man and other chick show up to help fuck with Quicksilver, other chick being able to see into the future and showing Pietro's time double that he and Crystal have a conversation, but not letting him hear what they're saying. She gets his hopes up by informing him that Crystal will tell him she still loves him, to really make sure he takes the biggest L possible, because god does she hate Quicksilver.
So, at this point, mad scientist dude has exposed himself to the Terrigen, upgrading his body. He reveals that the Terrigen gives the user their greatest desire, with his being a super strong and fit body, while giving them their greatest setback. In this case, all humans are basically in a permanent state of decay, because they aren't Kree (or mutants, based on Son of M). He informs Maria Hill, who decides it's a good idea to create a disposable black ops unit of "inhumans." Black Bolt and fam decide to warp into the Pentagon, but are bounced to the Antarctic due to an anti-teleport shield (fucking Reed Richards). Sentry and Black Bolt have a conversation which goes along the lines of Sentry warning BB in the hopes that Attilan will surrender so they don't have to fight, knowing the battle will be destructive. Black Bolt remains silent and leaves, which leaves Sentry legit shook and Maria Hill pissed off. Back on Attilan, Medusa talks to BB about how this war is fucked, which he knows, but has no idea what to do. So Medusa has an argument about how their son went nuts due to his early Terrigen exposure -- believing it to be the result of Maximus' madness possibly being genetic -- and locked up in a room somewhere. She suggests they use Luna (who doesn't want to do this, having remembered what Magneto said) to "fix" both Maximus and Ahura, freeing them of their madness. BB is like, "Freeing my bro won't work out well," and she's like, "But it totes will this time!" He gets pissed, she gets pissed, and she fucks off while he broods. Keep in mind that Black Bolt is against this because he had gone to Maximus for advice and didn't like what he got. Medusa goes to talk to Maximus, and in her sadness decides to mack on him. BB sees this event, which Medusa is unaware of while Maximus is, and flies out into space and screams.
So BB leads a team of Inhumans to attack the Pentagon and free Gorgon's squad, but then the Avengers show up. At first the Avengers get the upper hand, but a dude who can project into peoples' brains by shooting shadow balls out of his eyes (I don't fucking know) drives Ares nuts. So, Sentry still being legit shook by his convo with BB, ponders the fight. Without Sentry and Ares, and the freeing of Gorgon's team by Dewoz (mirror dude) and Mala the Diviner (whom the book describes as "I dunno she hacks shit I guess"). They also retrieve the Terrigen Crystals from the scientist, who dies. Returning to the fight, the Inhumans leave minus Black Bolt. During the fight BB stayed back, so as not to provoke Sentry, but after the rest of the squad leaves the fight he stays. The Avengers are all like, "Yo these fucking cowards," and Sentry's like, "Nah bruh they running cuz he about to yell." BB then proceeds to what is described as a whisper by Sentry, and rocks the Avengers. They are now legit shook.
On Attilan the Inhumans ponder how to react, but before they can enact a plan they are placed under assault by ONE's "inhuman" unit. During the fight, Medusa coerces Luna rather aggressively into "fixing" Ahura and Maximus. Luna, seeing that something is up, complies. She notices a weird octopus thing encased in a crystal thing, revealed to be Maximus' mind control as it appears to her. Maximus reveals that he "implanted" some sort of "virus" into the Royal Family so he can more easily control them in the future. The crystal-like encasing for the parasite is a representation of both the willpower suppressing said "virus" and also Maximus' lack of control. Luna and Black Bolt have proved powerful enough to resist, however. At this point the combat ends and the ONE soldiers, at the end of their lifespans (one having already died), surrender. Noticing one of these to be a regular human, Black Bolt signals that they are taken as prisoners. The normal human turns out to be a suicide bomber, and informs Maria Hill to activate it. A chunk of Attilan now destroyed, and the entirety of its population enslaved, Black Bolt is thrown into prison. Luna then visits Black Bolt in the prison, confessing that it's her fault the madness was unleashed, and asks what to do next. The end.
So, this book was interesting. It's a conflict where at first you might immediately assume that ONE is the bad guys, and Attilan is the good guys. However, Attilan's dirty deeds at the beginning show that this is a no holds barred type of thing. With both sides struggling with what's right and wrong. It's really emphasized during this, because each side turns to desperation. ONE's experiments and Medusa turning to Maximus are both proof of this. Black Bolt is the most interesting part of the story, as he is a character that's the epitome of self-restraint. Even described as such by Crystal and Medusa during their acts. Yet he is constantly on edge, to the point of almost beating Pietro to death. Not only that, but he's also shown to be incredibly unsure, something that damages his communication with Medusa. Him being unsure and less confident is also hard to imagine. I mean, the Jenkins/Lee series had a similarly tense situation (what with Attilan being under siege and all) and yet he was still able to create a long plan all without wavering at all, but when you imagine all the events that have happened (the Siege of Attilan, the separation and use of his race by Ronan, and the theft of the crystals) then it becomes far clearer. Medusa's turn to desperation is also a shocking result of this. It's sort of cliche at this point, but seeing Black Bolt losing his kingdom to Maximus is rough, especially since this time is assisted by his wife. It's difficult to see, and again the scenario of Attilan being so severely isolated, even being attacked from within, remains intense. This story keeps you on your toes.
David Hines' writing is solid. While he does he narration well, the dialogue is the epitome of decent. It gets the point across, but lacks anything memorable. It's well-plotted for the most part yet feels sort of rushed at the end. Also, due to how much it feels like it's derived from Jenkins' run, it doesn't feel particularly unique or creative. It doesn't feel too focused on the characters like Son of M or Young Inhumans either. Though Luna gets the most focus. Really, the book is carried by Irving's art. It's a very unique style, almost coming off like it's been painted. The colors really pop off the page and help emphasize emotions, something that really allows Luna's powers to shine, which didn't as much during Son of M. Medusa's hair is a particularly fun thing to look at, since it's almost drawn as its own entity. The facial expressions do a great job of capturing the situations at hand. Quicksilver looks truly insane, Black Bolt constantly in a state of depression, Gorgon's feral transformation, Luna frequently appears horrified at the events transpiring.
A decent, yet ultimately forgettable (especially since the war doesn't seem to have any aftereffects that aren't exclusive to Inhumans) book that I can only recommend to those who are reading the Inhumans storyline such as I.
A few posed questions: Why is Ahura insane? I can only imagine this is due to to House of M, since apparently people have forgotten about him, save for Medusa and BB. He went insane at some point, but it's unclear as to when. After he received his powers, but I'm not sure when that happened. Atlantis Rising, maybe? My second question is one that still stands, and that is, "When the hell did Maximus get pulled out of the Negative Zone?" Seriously. I need this answered, because it's bugging the fuck out of me.
